Love Your Enemies

Jillian, Jude and I attended a peace vigil for the Iraq war on Tuesday evening. Here's a shot of Jude in his Mei Tai baby carrier and the sign I made (thanks to Thomas Knoll for the broken heart image).

It was an interesting night. The first sign I paid attention to was one held by an elderly lady sitting on her walker/chair. It said, "Make soup, not war." Nice.

It was interesting to see people's responses as they drove by. Many more people honked or gave us the peace sign than yelled demeaning/confrontational things. But really, people seemed to try to avoid eye contact with me.

One bold young man was stopped at the red light with his girlfriend in the car. He looked at my sign, looked ahead, and then stood up through his open sunroof and shouted, "George Bush is the shit!" I smiled while his girlfriend shot him a look, shrunk down in her seat, and gave me a timid smile while mouthing the words, "I'm sorry."

Another young man yelled as they pulled away from the light, "Our enemies hate us!"

It reminded me just how polarizing and counter-cultural the Gospel really is. It really isn't a rational thing, is it? To go the extra mile; to turn the other cheek; to be a leader washing people's feet. But this is just part of what it means to follow the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Help us to love well, Lord. And help us to love the enemies in our own day-to-day lives as we proclaim Your message of love and reconciliation. Amen.

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Iraq War Anniversary - A Call for Peace

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thomas merton, pacifism, peace, sojourners

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Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.
- Thomas Merton, from "Thomas Merton on Peace"

Today marks the 4-year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. Jillian and I had planned to attend a Vigil service for peace this evening on courthouse square in Scranton. But now it is snowing and with a swollen ankle (and pregnant belly), Jill isn't feeling up to it. Frankly, I'm exhausted and am glad to stay home. At the same time, I had really hoped to go. I've never been to a protest or rally, and I want to lend my voice, my presence, and my prayers to this issue. I suppose that's one reason I have a blog.

It is my prayer this evening that those who lead find a way to end armed conflict and to work towards lasting peace - in Iraq and around the world.